Something to Hold Dear

PLANO, Texas, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- For Brenda Tsai Meu Chong, one gift begets another. Her talent is with needle and thread -- "a gift" she calls it.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061222/DAFFNS2 )

Over the last 10 holiday seasons, Brenda has used her gift to create around 450 personalized Christmas stockings for adolescents who are undergoing tough times. What began as a simple act of gift giving in 1995, now has become a one-woman holiday workshop in her home.

Back then, Brenda "adopted" two teenagers -- a boy and a girl, both age 15 -- who were staying at the Juliette Fowler Homes in Dallas. She bought a Tommy Hilfiger(R) shirt for the girl and a hockey jersey for the boy.

The gifts she gave -- only one per teen -- were certainly nice, but not nearly enough, recalls Brenda, a business analyst on the EDS Veteran Affairs account.

Forward-fast to Christmas 1996. Brenda, then working with EDS colleague and gift-drive leader, Tiffany Kovatch, wanted to do more.

"That year, kids were asking for radios and basketball shoes. I asked Tiffany what kids didn't have. Did they have stockings?"

The answer was no.

So, Brenda switched from "adopting kids" to making stockings -- lots and lots of personalized stockings for them.

A Mother's Guiding Hand

Brenda started sewing at the age of 14. Her mom, Louise Sword, of Richlands, Virginia, was a master of all kinds of crafts. "She was always creating something." Brenda says her mom "taught me with infinite patience. She gave me the bug to sew."

Brenda, in fact, still sews on the Kenmore machine she got after graduating from high school in 1980.

This year, when Brenda found out she had extra kids to sew stockings for, her mom said, "Oh yea, ship them to me. I'll help you."

Somehow, that's not surprising given Brenda's upbringing.

"I grew up in very much a blue-collar home. We didn't go all-out for Christmas, but we always had things. Dad was very much the entrepreneur. He put four kids through college.

"We were raised with the belief: 'We always give things to people who didn't have stuff. I just grew up knowing that's what you do.'"

Each Stocking Has a Name

The closet in the spare room of her home is stuffed with material. "I'm in the fabric store once a week. Or otherwise, I go through withdrawal," she jokes. "I'm familiar face at Jo-Ann's."

Brenda figures each stocking, measuring 24 inches by eight inches, takes six to 10 hours to make.

Every year, Brenda creates distinct patterns of velveteen and other fancy fabrics -- one design for the girls and another for the boys.

The first stockings Brenda made were traditional with tassel fringe. Another year, she did a Western boot in the colors of the Lone Star flag. An elf design was sewn another year. Snowmen and snowwomen stockings followed.

This year, Brenda is making black boot, white trim and red Santa boot for the boys. Girls' stocking will be more upscale with a Nordstrom's or Neiman's style red boot. All the stockings are double-stitched, cotton-lined to ensure they last a long time. On each stocking, Brenda embroiders the child's name with the sewing machine her husband, John, gave her. "Each one has a name. I'm real insistent on that." On her embroidery machine, Brenda keeps the names of all the kids. Sometimes, the same names are repeated.

"Your Hands Will Heal"

Brenda goes into full, stocking production in late October - and pushes through into late December. The work does have its occupational hazards.

Sewing so much is tough on the hands. The fabric draws the moisture from her fingers. Brenda says she has to constantly moisturize to keep them from cracking. "Mom says, 'Your hands will heal. Think of all you've done with them.'"

Brenda often works late into the night as Christmas approaches. Sometimes, she thinks: "My back is killing me, but it's going to be so worth it. I would hate for one kid to be left out."

Brenda never has met any of the kids. She has gotten thank-you notes from some of them. If ever Brenda ever gets to feeling down, she'll pull out one of those notes for inspiration.

"I can't imagine not doing this. Even if I don't work here (at EDS). Even if I retire," Brenda says.

"Sewing is a talent I have. I get a lot of benefit from it. It's a gift."

It's a gift, indeed. One that gives hundreds of boys and girls something of their own to hold dear.

About EDS

EDS is a leading global technology services company delivering business solutions to its clients. EDS founded the information technology outsourcing industry more than 40 years ago. Today, EDS delivers a broad portfolio of information technology and business process outsourcing services to clients in the manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, communications, energy, transportation, and consumer and retail industries and to governments around the world. Learn more at http://www.eds.com/ .

CONTACT: Travis Jacobsen - Media Relations 972.797.8751 travis.jacobsen@eds.com